Improved fburr-basket



alg {itch tatrs strut, tfirr.

Letters Patent No. 74,456, dated February 11, 1868.

IMPROVED FRUITBASKET.

tit: Srlnhul: ninth in it its: 321th gamut amt halting not at it: same.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY couches;

Be it known that I, P. B. VIELn', of Rochester, in the county of Monroe, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fruit or Berry-Baskets; and-I'doher'eby declare that the following is a. full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

Figurel is a view showing several of my improved basketsns in the act of being secured together for storage or transportation. ii

Figure 21s a vertical section of one of the'baskets;

Figure 3, a. diagram showing the method of construction I I Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the'fig urs. .My invention consists in constructing the baskets of two thin pieces or, sheets of wood, crossed at right angles, and slitted, so as to be expanded at the top, where they are secured to a hoop .hy eyeletingor-sewin'g.

It further consists'inpacking the baskets one inside another, and securing them by-a cordwhich passes through eyelets or openings in the bottom, which eyelets also serve to secure the two cross-piecestogether v In the drawings, A A indicate the two cross-pieces, which aresawfed or cutlin thin sheets fronithe'bolt orig block of wood, and are slitted from each end longitudinally, to form strips, a a,=leaving the =centre, b, entire. To form baskets, these pieces are crossed at right, 'angles, as shown in fig. 3, and the centres secured by as f eyelet, c. The strips a a are 'then turned up, and expanded-to the proper degree 'toztnake a flaring-shsped receptacle, and are secured at-the top, by eyeleting or sewing, to'a hoop or .band, (1, as clearly indicated;

This method of construction is exceedingly simple and cheap. The materialcan be sawed or. cut oi flin strips and cut into lengths with great rapidity, and the slitting is also veryhxpeditiously. done at the sarne action, or by placing one piece aboveanother in apileandrun intoasmall gang-saw The eyeleting 'is also very rapidly done, and with but slight expense. i

i It is believed that baskets constructed in this manner can be produced atfm uch less expense thsnany in market, not excepting even paper, while they are inueh more enduring tlia-n mosti baskets now made. The

open-work presentsa very pleasing efi'ect, since it allows theberrie'sjto he seen from-top tobottom. p

v In addition to theabove advantages,-jthe flaring shape of the hasketsallows'themto be packed one within another, as indicated at the top in'fig'. 1; and when so packed, theeyelets c'in-t he bottomallow the passage'of a cord,f, which, when a suificiont number have been packed, is knotted at both, ends, thuslsecur'in'g them firmly i in place, and in the most compact manner, This stringing otthe h'asketsjis of much imp orta nce'in storage and transportation. Ordinary berry-boxes cannot fit one within another. This result I secure ;by the eyelets e,

which also serve the additional'p urpose ofsecuring the eross-'pieces fori ning tlieibuskets. g

I do not claim broadly formingboxes of basket-stnfi;. nor do'I clairnh'roadly securing the'partshy eyelet,- ing, as I am awarethat eyelets have been used in boxes made of paper for a; similu'rpu'rpose. The noveltydin my case rests on the special method of construction and the securing of the packed basketsbythe cordgndI eyelets in the bottom.

1; I claim, in combination with the cross-pieces A A', providedwiththo slitted strips'a a, asaboive describodf." the encircling band cl, to which the said strips are secured by eyeletin'gor sewing,-the whole arranged'as herein '2. I also claim retaining the packed haskets one within another, forstorage' and. transpbrtation, meansof the eyelets, or equivalentopeni ngs, c, in 'the hott'om of the baskets," and" the cord 'f, passing through said openings, the whole as hereinabove set forth;

In witness whereof, I'have hereunto signed toy-name in the presenceof two'subscribing. witnesses. t v PL B. VIELE. Witnesses:

It. FQO'seoon, J. A. DAvIs'. 

